


Balkat (Orc)

by TheTravelerWrites



Series: Commissions [12]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Bounty Hunter, Exophilia, F/M, Orc, Strong Language, dragon - Freeform, dragon's egg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-26
Updated: 2019-07-26
Packaged: 2020-07-20 09:00:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19989511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTravelerWrites/pseuds/TheTravelerWrites
Summary: A bounty hunter is hired to track down an orc who stole a ruby from a local duke. Upon catching him, she learns that the situation is a bit more complicated than she first assumed.





	Balkat (Orc)

“You understand what I’m telling you, right?” The man-at-arms said, squinting at you.

“Perfectly,” You replied. “Find the orc, get the stolen goods, bring them back, get paid. I’m not new to this, you know.”

“You look like a new-blood to me, little girl,” The grizzled man said, taking your chin in his hand and inspecting your face.

You jerked your head away from him. “Well, I’m not,” You replied curtly. “If you want to hire someone else, then do it. Otherwise, let’s get on with things.”

“Fine,” He said. “The orc is traveling west. That’s where his stronghold is. If he gets to the stronghold, you’ll have no chance.”

“Good,” You replied. “I’ll take a quarter of the pay now.”

His head rocked back. “What?”

“I don’t work on faith,” You replied flatly. “I need incentive.”

He scoffed and counted out a number of coins from a pouch hidden in his leather doublet. “You don’t hold up your end, I get that back, missy,” He said, holding out the money.

“Yeah, yeah,” You said, putting the coins in your pouch. “I’m off. I should be back in a fortnight.”

“You’ll need to be faster than that,” The old man said.

“I'll figure it out. I’ve got my ways,” You said as you exited the tavern where the two of you had rendezvoused, ignoring the crass comments and harsh laughter about your “ways,” and walked back to the inn through the flurry of snow.

The week prior, an infamous orc warrior named Balkat Rubytusk, the eldest son of the chief of the Rubytusk Stronghold, had broken into the treasury of a local duke and taken an unprecedentedly large ruby from his personal collection. The man-at-arms you met with surmised that he did it as a rite of passage for his stronghold, to prove he was ready to become chief and lead the next generation of savages in raids and pillaging.

Breaching the security of the Duke’s castle and making into the inner most rooms had been a feat no other had ever achieved, man or beast. How he had gotten in and out without a scratch was a testament to his skill. You almost admired him.

After checking your weapons and gear, you set off. You’d take a horse to the town closest to the mountain where the stronghold was located, then continue on foot, setting traps around the perimeter. He likely wouldn’t expect trouble once he made it into the home stretch. If you kept clear of the perimeter guard, you’d be fine.

Arriving at the forest, it was completely white, save for the tree trunks, which were stark black against the snow everywhere. Visibility would be high. Good thing you had your snow fox cloak to not only hide you, but to keep you warm, should the orc not show before nightfall.

You began setting up snares, bear traps, and even dug a narrow pit, covering it with fallen branches and throwing handfuls of snow over it to disguise it. Using a branch with pine needles, you used it to sweep your footprints away as you walked. Then, you climbed a tree, covered yourself, and waited.

Almost two days later, you finally heard it. The sound of snapping twigs and a person moving through the forest at a quick pace. Carefully, you moved to a higher branch, and saw him: the huge orc with a large burlap sack slung over his shoulder, striding with purpose in the direction of his stronghold. He was dressed in leather and furs, both his hair and his beard braided, one simple braid each down his back and chest, with no adornments. His tusks were smaller than normal, especially for his size, but had the tell-tale red tinged hue exclusive to the Rubytusk clan.

Using a slingshot, you sent a rock flying and hitting a tree near him, and he stopped in his tracks when he heard the _CRACK!_ echo through the silent forest. He cursed under his breath and started began to trot.

You let another rock fly, and he altered his direction slightly. _Good_ , you thought. You could lead him right to the pit. You hopped nimbly to the next tree, careful not to jostle it or dislodge any snow from the branches and shot another rock. He changed course again. Perfect. He was headed right for it.

Another thirty yards and there was a crashing sound and an almighty bellow of anger, followed by a string of swear words that would have made your grandmother’s ears fall off.

You’d dug the pit ten feet deep, so even with his height, there was no way he could climb out. You hopped down from the tree and stepped up to the edge of the pit, looking down at him. You had your bow drawn and pointed right at his heart.

“I’ll be taking that sack now,” You told him.

“Hired by the duke, were you?” He snarled.

“One of his associates, but that’s neither here nor there,” You replied flippantly. “Hand up that sack and I’ll walk away.”

“If I don’t?” He asked.

You shrugged. “Then I’ll just kill you and take it anyway?” You said as if it should have been obvious.

“You don’t know what you’re doing,” He said warningly.

“I’m earning a living, is what I’m doing,” You said. “Hunting down thieves and criminals like you.”

“That duke is the thief!” He snapped back. “He’s the one who stole this! I’m just trying to return it to its mother!”

That caused you to ease the tension on the bowstring slightly. “What are you talking about, mother? You stole a ruby.”

“It’s not a ruby, you dimwit,” He said, pulling the large, glitteringly red, ovular object from the sack and holding it up for you to see. “It’s a--

“Dragon’s egg,” You said in awe.

“Yes,” He replied with a grunt. “You are supremely lucky I didn’t land on it when I fell.”

To the untrained eye, it would look like a jewel with it’s hue and brightness, but the smooth surface of the shell was opaque and glowing.

“Why the hell did the duke have a dragon’s egg? Why the hell did you steal it? Those are illegal to own, even in strongholds!”

He scrubbed his haggard face and sighed. It looked like he hadn’t slept in days.

“Hundreds of years ago, the Rubytusk clan made a deal with a red dragon that lives at the top of the mountain,” He said, pointing to the peak. “She lays one egg every ten years, but always just before winter, when she hibernates. She said would be our ally against invaders and aggressors if we protected her egg during winter, when she hibernates. We agreed. This is the first time in almost four hundred years we failed. We got too complacent and someone climbed up the opposite side of the mountain, taking her egg. If she wakes up and the egg is gone, she’ll certainly kill everyone in our stronghold and possibly raze the country to the ground.”

“Holy shit,” You said, lowering your bow.

“Do you get it now?” He asked. “The last thing that duke will have to worry about is a missing ‘ruby’ if we don’t get this back up there soon.”

You raised your bow again. “How do I know you’re telling the truth?” You asked him. “That’s definitely a dragon’s egg, but that story could just be something you made up to make me let you go. How do I know you’re not just taking it back to your clan as some sort of chieftain’s test?”

“What the hell are you talking about?” He asked in annoyance?

“You’re the oldest son of the chief, aren’t you? Aren’t you in line to be the next chief?

He rolled his eyes and scoffed. “It just shows what you know about our people. My clan is a _matriarchal_ one. My sister became chief three years ago. I’m her advisor and second in command. That’s why this job fell to me. It’s my responsibility to make sure the egg is protected and I failed.”

“You were the one on guard?”

“No, but it was one of my men, which makes it my responsibility.”

“Wouldn’t it be his responsibility?”

“It would if he weren’t imprisoned.”

“You snorted. “So if you don’t bring the egg back, you’ll be banished or something?” You asked, stowing the arrow back in your quiver.

“If I don’t bring the egg back, being banished is the least of my worries,” He said grimly.

You stood there, contemplating. “Here’s the problem,” You told him. “I accepted a contract from a duke and was paid a portion of the reward in advance. Even if I go back and hand them the money they gave me, I’d still end up in the stockade. So either I take that egg in or I go to jail.”

“If you help me get the egg back to it’s mother, my clan will shelter you. The duke has no authority inside the stronghold. I give you my word.”

“The word of a savage?” You said. “What is that worth?”

His face pinched in an angry glare. “Your people stole the child of a noble creature, and in doing so, threatened the lives of my people and their own. Which one of us is the savage?”

He had a point. You nodded in begrudging agreement and sighed heavily. “Alright… Look, I’ll let you up if you promise me you won’t try to kill me once you get up here.”

“The promise of a savage?” He asked with a sneer. “Fine. But we must hurry.”

“Why?” You asked, tying a rope to the trunk of a tree and flinging it into the pit.

“Because,” He said stiltedly, grunting with the effort of pulling himself out of the pit. “She wakes up every three weeks to make sure the egg is still there and that the guard hadn’t abandoned their post. We used to think she was just being paranoid, but now…”

He climbed out of the pit and stood at his full, intimidating height. You weren’t scared of him, though. You’d taken down far bigger prey.

“So,” You said, hands on your hips. “I take it as a good sign that you didn’t immediately attack me. So where are we going?”

He pointed at the summit of the mountain. “Where else?”

“I guess we better get going, then,” You said.

He eyed you suspiciously, but started forward, not caring if you followed or not. You cut the rope from the tree and rolled it up, putting it back in your pack as you trailed after him.

“It’ll be three days to the summit,” He said. “And that’s only if we stop to sleep. Are you prepared for that?”

“I guess I don’t have much choice, do I?” You replied, a hand on the dagger at your belt, just in case. “When is she due to wake up?”

“Five days. Six if we’re lucky.”

“Let’s hope we’re lucky,” You said, catching up to stride at his side. Three of your steps equaled his one with his long damn legs.

“You already know my name, but I don’t know yours,” He said.

“Do you need to know it?” You asked.

“I don’t make it a habit of traveling with strangers.”

“If I told you, I’d still be a stranger. You’d just know my name.”

He grunted. You relented and told him your name.

“Nice to meet you, I guess,” He said, hitching the bag higher on his shoulder.

“Yeah,” you said unenthusiastically.

It was a quiet hike after that.

Four hours later, it began to grow dark and Balkat led you to a cave, which strangely had supplies already in it, including a stone circle for a fire, dry firewood, and jars of pickled vegetables. Balkat began loading firewood onto the stone circle one-handed while keeping a strong grip on the bag.

“Want help?” You asked.

“Nope.”

“So you just want me to stand here with my thumb up my ass?”

“Yep.”

You sighed forcefully. “Look, I already told you I can’t go back without the egg, so you can start trusting me.”

He huffed while using a flint to start the kindling. “You said it yourself, you’re a stranger. I still don’t trust you won’t try to make off with the egg. So until it’s returned where it belongs, you’re little more than a flea on my back, got it?”

“Alright, whatever,” You said, taking off your bow, quiver, and bag, and sitting against the stone wall as he busied himself with the fire.

As you were gnawing on some dried meat from your pack, Balkat crouched by the now roaring fire and took the egg out of its sack. You heard him swear sharply.

“What’s wrong?” You asked.

He was feeling the outside of the shell in various spots. “It’s getting colder.”

You walked up and laid a hand on it. He gave you a nasty side eye, but he didn’t stop you.

“It feels warm to me,” You replied.

“Yes, but when I retrieved it, it had the temperature of a rock in the summer sun. That’s why I was carrying it in the sack.”

“So, what does that mean?”

“What do you think it means?!” Balkat snapped, a little panicky. “It means it’s dying!”

“What can we do? Could we put it in the fire?”

“No,” He said, pulling off his leather vest and pulling the egg toward his body. “Baby dragons aren’t fireproof, and eggs can withstand their mother’s breath, but not a full blaze.” He looked at you, specifically your cloak. “Give me that.”

Your sputtered. “What?”

“Give me your cloak!”

“No! I’ll freeze!”

“I don’t care. I have to get the egg warm.” He threw his vest at you. “Use this.”

You swore, but took off your cloak and flung it at him. “Don’t singe it.”

He gave a short nod as he wrapped it around the egg, sitting closer to the fire.

The temperature continued to drop as the night wore on, and his huge vest at first helped keep your heat in, but it was quickly losing its efficacy. You shivered against the wall, trying to stay awake.

“Come here,” Balkat said, startling you a little.

“What?”

“You’re freezing. Come here.”

You got up and made your way over to him cautiously. He unwrapped the egg slightly to allow you to be wrapped in with it. “It’s big enough for both of you.”

“What about you?” You asked, sitting in front of him and letting him enfold you in your cloak with the egg. It was, indeed, several degrees warmer than when last you touched it. You flinched a little when he put his arms around both of you, but he was very warm, so you didn’t shake him off.

“I don’t care about me. This egg is all that matters.”

“Then why are you helping me?”

“Cause you looked like a wet cat, shivering over there.”

You snorted and stared at the fire. Despite your best efforts, the warmth was soaking into your bones and soothing you, and your eyes began to droop.

“I always kind of liked cats,” You thought you heard him say as you drifted to sleep.

The next two days were brutal. Climbing a mountain without the appropriate gear was hard enough, but a sudden slow, constant snowfall had made the terrain shifting and wet, making the journey a stumbling and unsteady one. By day three, Balkat had strapped the egg to your stomach and closed both his vest and your cloak around the two of you, going shirtless in the cold. He had also tied your rope to the both of your waists, to keep you together in the vast whiteness of the landscape.

Despite the orc’s natural resistance to the cold, you could see the muscles on his back shivering as he moved persistently forward.

“Balkat, we should stop!” You said. “You’re freezing!”

“I’m fine,” He said, a crack in the stoniness of his voice. “Keep going. We’ll be there soon. Just a few more hours.”

A few more hours past, and he was slowing down. Just as the mouth of the cave in which the dragon lived came into view, he stumbled.

“Balkat!” You cried, rushing forward. You grabbed his bicep in an effort to lift him, and it was ice cold.

“Leave me,” He said, wheezing. “Take the egg to the summit. Quickly.”

“No, you’re coming with me. Get up!” You slapped his face hard. “Are you a warrior or not! On your feet!”

With a mighty grunting effort, he stood, leaning on you as the two of you made the final few hundred feet to the inside of the dragon’s cave. Once in the door, Balkat collapsed. He was as cold as death. With the last of his strength, he snapped the rope connecting the two of you and pushed you forward.

“Go,” he said. “Take it in. She’s still sleeping. Put it back. End this.”

Feeling torn between obeying and ignoring to help him further into the cave, you turned and ran toward the inner sanctum, where the dragon slept. It was dark, save for a single glowing lantern.

There. There she lay. She was easily twenty feet long, glittering red and gold. She had three sets of horns and and elegant snout. She was slim and a tail that ended, of all things, in golden feathers. She was glorious.

She lay in a spiral, in the middle was a hollow where she was breathing, the perfect place for an egg to lay. You threw your cloak aside and unstrapped the egg, carefully laying it back in its place in its mother’s embrace and backed away as soundlessly as you could.

Once you’d cleared the dragon’s tail, you raced back to the mouth of the cave, where Balkat lay unconscious.

“Shit!” You exclaimed, putting the cloak around him. “Don’t fall asleep, Balkat!” But it was no use, you couldn’t wake him.

Desperately, you put the cloak on the ground and managed to roll him onto it, pulling him as far as you could into the cave. You rolled him off and covered him back up with it. You needed to build a fire, but you were scared that he would die before you got back with the firewood.

“Oh, gods, I’m really going to have to do this, aren’t I?” You muttered to yourself. Groaning with exasperation, you began to undress, then pulled off his clothes as well. Leaving only your undergarments, you lay on top of him and pulled the cloak over the both of you, rubbing his icy skin in an effort to warm him.

“Come on, wake up,” You murmured, but hours passed and he didn’t awaken. Exhausted, you fell asleep still laying over him, certain you would both be dead come morning.

However, when you woke, it was with his arms around you and his nose in your hair.

“You did it,” He said as you stirred. “And you saved my life, to boot. You didn’t have to do that.”

“I think I did, actually,” You said, your head resting on his chest. “I don’t think I could have gone back to your stronghold without you.”

He sniffed a laugh out through his nostrils, ruffling your hair. “You might. My sister would have accepted that I died to correct this… lapse in security. Though, I have to admit I didn’t expect this level of care.” He squeezed you a little, his skin much warmer.

“Yeah, well, don’t read too much into it,” You said haughtily.

He chuckled again. “Well, if the stronghold is going to be sheltering you, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to get more friendly.”

You sighed, snuggling in. “I guess you’re right about that.”

“Are you ready to head down?”

You groaned. “Later. I’m comfortable.”

He laughed openly. “Me, too.”


End file.
